'TNF' takeaways: Broncos win again, but major concerns are emerging

The Denver Broncos extended their winning streak to seven consecutive games on Thursday night with an ugly 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, improving their record to 8-2, continuing to extend their lead in the AFC West.

All of that is good and encouraging for the Broncos. But should it be? Because there has been nothing in their recent play, including Thursday's game, that has been overly encouraging. 

Here are some key takeaways from the Broncos win.

The Broncos escape again

All that matters in the NFL is winning the game. There are no style points at this level or committees to impress. All they ask is if you scored more points than the other team each week, and if you did that enough times to finish in the top seven spots in your conference.

That is fortunate for the Broncos, because they have had absolutely zero style points in recent weeks. Or for most of the season for that matter.

Just consider some of the wins on this winning streak:

• They needed an 18-point fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
• They barely escaped a 13-11 win against a bad New York Jets team in London.
• They needed a 33-point fourth quarter to steal a win from a bad New York Giants team. 
• They needed an 11-point fourth quarter to beat the Houston Texans a week ago in a game where they managed just 18 points.
• Then on Thursday, they managed just one touchdown and barely escaped against a bad Raiders team. 

Credit to them for coming back in those games and finding ways to win. But at some point, you have to start playing better, especially as the competition gets tougher. 

Winning ugly is great as long as you keep winning. At some point, you're not going to have a 33-point or 18-point fourth-quarter comeback to bail you out. None of that is sustainable every week. Certainly not against the level of teams you need to beat in the playoffs. 

They are dancing through rain drops right now. Teams that do that long enough eventually get wet. 

Denver's special teams redeemed itself

For most of Thursday's game, the Broncos special teams unit was having a tough game, continuing what has been a rough season for that group. 

Punter Jeremy Crawshaw hit some ugly punts, while Will Lutz was short on a long field-goal attempt. It was going to potentially cost them the game.

But that unit ended up swinging the game in their favor late in the third quarter when they blocked a punt to set up the eventual game-winning field goal.